Tony Stewart Pulls Out Of NASCAR Race After Deadly Accident

Following the deadly crash that killed driver Kevin Ward Jr., NASCAR driver Tony Stewart will not race at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 10, a source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY.

Just one day after Tony Stewart, 43, accidentally hit and killed fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr., 20, during a dirt-track race, Tony has to decide whether or not he will be racing at Watkins Glen International for the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. A source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY that Tony is being “urged” not to race at the Aug. 10 event and is “very shaken” over the terrible accident.

Tony Stewart Not Racing At Watkins Glen International Following Accident

A source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY that Tony is planning on NOT racing at the Aug. 10 race at Watkins Glen International following the tragic Aug. 9 event.

“Out of respect to the incident and the death and the ongoing investigation Tony Stewart is being urged not to race by Nascar officials on Sunday and has currently made the decision that he will not race,” our source revealed. “He is very shaken over the incident.”

20-year-old driver Kevin stepped out of his car after it hit the side wall due to Tony’s car and wanted to “yell” at Tony for causing the crash, an eyewitness detailed. However, he was unintentionally hurtled by Tony’s car across the track moments later. A graphic video shows the entire series of events go down. Kevin was later pronounced dead from injuries he suffered in the crash, CBS News reports.

Driver Regan Smith, 30, will take Tony’s place in the car, the outlet also reports.

Tony Stewart Will Not Face Criminal Charges After ‘Tragic’ Accident

Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero announced that the investigation over the accident involving Tony and Kevin is not criminal, CBS News reports.

“This is right now being investigated as an on-track crash and I don’t want to infer that there are criminal charges pending,” Philip said, according to CBS News. “When the investigation is completed, we will sit down with the district attorney and review it. But I want to make it very clear: there are no criminal charges pending at this time.”

Kevin’s aunt, Wendi Ward, wrote a long Facebook message on Aug. 10 and slammed Tony. She wrote that Tony was “d–k!” Many members of Kevin’s family honored Kevin with custom-made T-shirts in a Facebook post on Aug. 10.

NASCAR released a statement about the accident on Aug. 10, according to ESPN:

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and fellow competitors of Kevin Ward Jr. We support Tony Stewart’s decision to miss today’s race and we will continue to respect the process and timeline of the local authorities and will continue to monitor this situation moving forward.”

Here is the video of the Aug. 9 crash. WARNING: The contents of the video are graphic.

Our thoughts and prayers also go out to Kevin’s loved ones during this difficult time.